An urgent alert has been issued to students in the University of Limerick advising of a serious outbreak of sexually transmitted diseases.

The University of Limerick student health centre sent an email to students on Wednesday saying that there’s been an outbreak of gonorrhoea and chlamydia on campus, and advising them to contact medical professionals if they had “unprotected sex or any concerns”.

“These are sexually transmitted diseases as a result of unprotected anal, vaginal or oral sex,” the email said.

“It is possible to have these conditions without having any type of symptoms.”

Speaking to the Irish Times, UL’s director of student services Dr Bernadette Walsh, said that figures show 97 cases of gonorrhoea in counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary during 2016.

“Fourteen of these are associated with this campus, which consists of approximately 15,000 students,” she said.

All students who present at the UL health centre are currently being seen, with or without an appointment.